Accordion



pril 7, 1936.` SCHMIDT 2,036,545

ACCORDION Filed April 5, 1935 Patented Apr. 7, 1936 TES PAT

T @FFICE ACCORDION Otto Schmidt, De Kalb,

Ill., assignor to Wurlitzer Grand Piano Company, De Kalb, Ill., acorporation of Illinois Application April 5, 1935, Serial No. 14,784

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a musical instrument of the accordion type,and its purpose is to provide such an instrument in a form which can beeconomically manufactured. Another object oi the invention is to providean instrument or this character which shall be relatively light inweight and easy to operate, and particularly to provide such aninstrument with a piano type keyboard to facilitate learning to play it.Other objects will appear as the description proceeds. The inventionconsists in certain features and elements of construction incombination, as herein shown and described and as indicated by theclaims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the instrument as seen when held inthe position of use.

Figure 2 is a transverse or horizontal section through the bellows andkeyboard.

Figure 3 is a partial plan view of the keyboard with parts broken awayto show the wind-chest wall which extends directly below the keys and aportion of the reed chest thereunder.

As shown in the drawing, the instrument einbodying this inventioncomprises a piano type keyboard with the usual white keys, I, and blackkeys, 2, surmounting a wind-chest, 3, which is in open communicationwith a bellows, The movable wall, 5, of the bellows is fitted with ahand strap, 6, and with a release port, l, nor- Amally closed by aspring-pressed Valve, 8, which may be opened by inserting the fingerthrough the port, 'I, when it is desired to expel the air quickly fromthe bellows, 4, for collapsing it to closed position. Fastening straps,9, with snap buttons, I0, are provided for holding the bellows closedwhen the instrument is carried about.

The wind-chest, 3, which is of triangular crosssection, is formed withan outer rigid wall., II, extending from the flexible wall of thebellows, 4, and joined with a second rigid wall, I2, which contains theports corresponding to the individual keys, I and 2. Within thewind-chest, 3, there is secured against the wall, I2, a partitionedreed-chest upon which the reeds, I3, are mounted. For each note thereare two similarly tuned reeds, each provided with an automatic dappervalve, I4, so that one reed will be actuated by air-ow in one directionand the other will be sounded when the air flows in the oppositedirection. Each pair of reeds has a separate reed chamber, I5, formed inthe partitioned structure, and each reed chamber is arranged to bevented through an individual port, I6, controlled by a valve, I'I, whichis disposed within the reed chest and opens by movement inwardly away(Cl. SI1- 376) from the port. Each valve, I'I, may consist of a disk offlexible material, such as rubber or felt, and is attached to acorresponding key of the keyboard by means of a stem which may be simplya screw whose head is disposed against the under side of the valve, thatis, the surface opposite that which covers the port, I6,-and whosethreaded end is entered in the body of the key from the under side.

Each key is upheld yieldingly by a spring, I9,

which also holds the valve seated, and the threaded engagement of thevalve stems, I8, thus permits the keys to be drawn into proper alignmentwith each other by adjustment of these threaded stems, I8. A eltedbutler bar, 2li, is positioned to limit the depression oi the blackkeys, 2, and a similar bar, 2l, is provided for the white keys. The keysare preferably iulcrumed in individual bifurcated brackets or pivotblocks, 22, which are secured by individual screws, 23, to a rail, 24,attached to the upper surface of the partition, I2, adjacent itsconnection with the bellows, 4. A iinish strip, 25, forms a cover forthe brackets, 22, but the removal of this strip gives immediate accessto them so that any one oi the keys may be conveniently dismountedwithout disturbing the remainder. Complete release of the key involvesremoval oi the screw, I8, constituting the stem of the valve, I'I, whichthe key actuates. However, the chambered reedchest structure isremovably secured to the under side of the wall, I2, by means of threeor four screws, one of which is seen at 29 on Figure 3, and upon removalof these screws the partitioned structure with the reeds is readilyseparated from the ported wall, I2, giving ready access to the heads oithe valve stems, I8. Access to the interior of the wind chest forreaching the screws, 2S, and the Valve stems, I8, is aiorded byseparating the wall, I2, and the keyboard assembly from the remainder ofthe Wind-chest. Said wall, E2, is secured to the triangular cornerrails, seen in Figure 2, by means of screws, not shown, and the joint isrendered air-tight by means of a rubber gasket, 25, extending adjacentthe margin of the wall, I2, along all four sides.

The keyboard structure includes the usual front rail, 2l, surmounted bya felt dust strip which engages the depending flanges of the white rkeys, as seen in Figure 2; and at the ends of the wall, I2, there areprovided the usual end cheeks, 28, enclosing the keys. These cheeks mayextend substantially flush with the triangular end walls, 3, of thewind-chest, to which a suitable shoulder strap, 30, is attached forsupporting the instrument from the right shoulder of the player. Thetriangular cross-section of the wind-chest thus disposes the keyboard ata convenient angle for manipulation by the ngers of the right hand,while the rigid wall, 5, of the bellows is moved with the left hand forpumping air to operate the reeds.

This structure as shown and described is not intended to have a keyboardof such ranger as to include both treble and base, and it will be notedthat the left hand is used only for operating the bellows. However, thisrenders the instrument quite simple to learn, and with the piano typekeyboard it is easily possible to play very effective thirds and chords,producing a reasonably rich quality of tone. Furthermore, instruments ofthis type may be made in different pitch ranges, so that two, three orfour performers may play together to produce the full harmony. Bysimplifying the individual instrument I have rendered it attractive tothe novice or amateur performer, and have also reduced the cost ofmanufacture to such an extent that it may be sold within a price rangefar below that of the usually more complicated piano accordion. In manycases, after mastering an instrument of this type, a person will becomesufliciently interested to extend his study to the larger instrument,but, in any event, my present invention will bring the possibility ofsatisfactory musical accomplishment within the reach of many who couldnot expect to own the more expensive type of accordion.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structureembodying the invention, it Will be manifest to those skilled in the artthat various modifications and re-arrangements of the parts may be madewithout departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, andthat the same is not limited to the particular form herein shown anddescribed, except in so far as indicated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an accordion, a piano type keyboard, a reed chest mounted directlyunder the keyboard and comprising a plurality of reed chambers eachhaving a port opening toward the keyboard, a valve for each portdisposed within the reed chamber, and means extending through each portand directly connecting its valve to a corresponding key of the keyboardwhereby depression of the key unseats the valve.

2. In an accordion, a piano type keyboard, a Wind-chest having a portedwall disposed directly under the keyboard, a valve controlling each portseating at the side of the wall opposite that toward the keyboard andconnected directly to a corresponding key of the keyboard, and springmeans reacting between said wall and each of the keys, the connectionbetween each valve and its key comprising a stem screwed into the underside of the key and adjustable by virtue of such threaded connection foreffecting alignment of the keys.

3. In an accordion, a piano type keyboard, a wind-chest disposeddirectly under the keyboard and including a wall extending in a planesubstantially parallel to the keyboard and directly under the keys, arail extending adjacent one edge of said wall at the outer side thereof,individual pivot brackets for the keys removably secured to an outwardlydisposed face of said rail with a cover strip enclosing them, individualsprings for the keys each reacting between the under side of its key andthe upper face of said wind-chest wall, said wall having a plurality ofports, and Valves for the respective ports each having a stem removablyconnecting the valve to a corresponding key of the keyboard.

4. In an accor-dion, a piano type keyboard, a wind-chest disposeddirectly under the keyboard and including a Wall extending in a planesubstantially parallel to the keyboard and directly under the keys, saidwall having a plurality of ports disposed below the keys in registrationtherewith respectively, a reed chest secured removably to the under sideof said wall with reed chambers registering with each of said ports, anda valve for each port disposed within the corresponding reed chamber andseating upwardly, together with a stem for said valve extending throughthe port and removably engaged with a key of the keyboard.

5. An accordion comprising a bellows having a rigid end wall, a windchest connected to the opposite end of the bellows, said wind chestbeing of triangular cross-section so that its wall opposite the bellowsis disposed at an acute angle to the rigid wall of the latter when thebellows is collapsed, said wall of the wind chest having a plurality ofports and a chambered reed chest associated therewith, together with apiano type keyboard super-imposed upon the outer side of said wall ofthe wind chest with the keys arranged in a plane substantially parallelto said wall, and valves connected to said keys respectively forcontrolling the ports and the reeds appertaining thereto.

6. In an accordion, a piano-type keyboard, a Wind-chest disposeddirectly under the keyboard and including a Wall extending in a planesubstantially parallel to the keyboard and directly under the keys, saidwall having a plurality of ports disposed below the keys in registrationtherewith respectively; a reed chest secured removably to the under sideof said wall with reed chambers registering with each of said ports anda valve for each port disposed within the corresponding reed chamber andseating upwardly, tgether with a stem for each valve consisting of aheaded screw with its head disposed under the valve and its shankextending through the valve and port and screwed into the under side ofthe key, whereby said head of the screw is accessible for adjustment orremoval when the reed chest is removed.

OTTO SCHMIDT.

